SAN FRANCISCO - Microsoft will let customers configure the next major release of Windows Server for specific server tasks, rather than selling a host of different Windows Server Longhorn editions tailored to those tasks, a company executive said Friday.

The release, code-named Windows Server Longhorn and set to ship in 2007, will support much more granular role-based installation than does the current Windows Server 2003. This will include the option to install only the software code needed to support a certain role, such as terminal server or file server.

"We see this more as an option that customers will choose, not that we will package," said Bob Muglia, senior vice president in charge of Microsoft's Windows Server Division, in an interview on Friday. "Customers are going to want to buy standard Windows Server and then configure it the way they want."

Letting customers run a smaller code base could reduce maintenance costs for customers and create products that are less vulnerable to attack. The move marks a technical shift for Microsoft and could help it to better address the competitive threat posed by Linux, industry analysts have said.

The single Windows Server package is important to customers, especially large enterprises with hundreds of blade servers that want flexibility in how they deploy the software, Muglia said. Full story...